Musings from California

Toasted coconut and peanut cucumber salad

This salad is perfect for Spring. It’s fast and has a wonderful flavor combination: the cucumbers are light and crisp while the toasted coconut and peanuts add depth.

The real kick comes from the spices you add and that’s where you can get creative. This take is Indian inspired with cumin, coriander and mustard. But I could just as easily see you go Caribbean with jerk spices, or Greek with oregano and sprinkle of feta, or Latin with cilantro and habanero chiles. You can see where I’m going here—it’s the ultimate base for flexible flavor profiles.

I was inspired by the recipe posted over at 101 Cookbooks, but in my usual style I modified it for my own kitchen and particular brand of laziness. I had just come home from swimming and couldn’t wait more than five minutes to eat something. That’s all it took to whip this salad together and boy, was it delicious.

One English cucumber. I chose to peel it, but you can do whatever you want.

Scoop out the seeds (you don’t want the salad to get too watery) and slice into 1/2-inch pieces.